Just a kiss
by aurghhh
Summary: Emily and Paige deal with the aftermath of Hanna kissing Paige.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I wrote this ages ago - it was my first Panna fic, but with Paily still together. It's not great, but it has its moments. I'm just going to upload the whole lot. Scenes in italics are either flashbacks or flashforwards. Hopefully which is which should be clear from the context.

* * *

 _Paige was crying when she came through the door._

 _"I'm so sorry Emily," she said, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. "I'm so sorry."_

 _"What happened?" Emily asked._

 _Paige just looked at her, her face distraught. Emily was worried now. She hadn't seen Paige like this in a long time._

 _"Come in," Emily said gently. "Sit down."_

 _Emily tried to ignore her own nerves. She knew that Paige needed her._

 _"I didn't mean to," Paige said as they walked into the living room._

 _"It's OK," Emily said, though she had no idea if it was._

 _They sat down, and Emily took Paige's hand._

 _"Paige, I need you to tell me what happened," she said. "Please."_

* * *

It had been a good day. Hanna and Page were having a coffee after an afternoon of clothes shopping together.

"Aren't I just the best shopper," Hanna said, holding up her bags.

"They weren't exactly cheap," Paige pointed out.

"What are you talking about? They were all on special," Hanna responded. "Except this one… and the scarf. But the rest were on special. Just think of how much money I saved by buying all of them."

"They're nice," Paige said.

"You got some good stuff too," Hanna said.

"Yeah," Paige replied.

"A lot of denim," Hanna said.

"I like denim," Paige said.

"Does Emily think you look sexy in it?" Hanna asked.

"Um, not specifically," Paige replied.

"I bet she thinks you look sexy all the time," Hanna said.

"Umm…" Paige began, but didn't get any further.

"I'm sorry," Hanna said, though she didn't look very sorry.

They drank their coffee for a while.

"Did you have fun?" Hanna asked.

"It was great," Paige replied. "It was really nice just hanging out. We don't get to do that a lot."

"Yeah, well, an afternoon with no one trying to run us over or anything is always good," Hanna said.

"True," said Paige. "But it's also, I don't know… you've always been Emily's best friend, and I'm probably Emily's girlfriend to you. It's nice to just be friends."

"Yeah," Hanna said. "Friends."

When they finished they walked back to Hanna's car.

"Did you want a lift home?" Hanna asked.

"No, I like to walk," Paige replied.

"Weird, but OK," Hanna said.

"I've had a really great day," Paige said.

"Me too," said Hanna, smiling broadly.

Hanna opened the boot and put her bags in.

"We should do this again some time," Hanna said.

"Yeah," said Paige.

Paige put her arms out and the two of them hugged.

Then Hanna kissed Paige. Just as they were pulling away from the hug, Hanna leaned in and pressed her lips against Paige's. It only lasted for a moment, but it felt like longer.

Hanna stepped back, shocked.

"I… I better go," was all she said.

Paige stood in silence and watched as Hanna got in the car and drove away.

* * *

Hanna sat in her car, her hands still gripping the wheel even though she was parked outside her home. She was sweating. She felt sick.

All she could see was Paige's face after Hanna had kissed her. All she could think about was Emily when she found out. She wasn't afraid of Emily being angry at her. She wanted Emily to be angry. It was the hurt that scared her. The hurt on Emily's face. The hurt that Hanna had caused.

* * *

"Em, we need to talk. Paige" was all the message said.

* * *

Paige ran the distance from her home to Emily's. She had to tell Emily. She had to tell her now.

Her mind was consumed by a single instant. The instant when the shock wore off, and she realized Hanna was kissing her. The instant before Hanna pulled away. The instant when Paige stayed in that kiss.

* * *

Emily was dizzy. It was so much to take in. She had so many questions.

But one detail stood out.

"Paige, you said Hanna kissed you," she said. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"It feels like I did," Paige replied.

Emily was confused.

"Why?" she asked.

Paige looked to Emily as if seeking guidance, but just shook her head.

* * *

When Hanna walked in the door she headed straight for the stairs.

"Did you have a good day?" her mother called out from the kitchen.

Hanna headed upstairs, ignoring her.

"Dinner's almost ready," Ashley called.

Hanna was almost to her room.

"Is something wrong?" her mother asked.

"No!" Hanna called back, closing the door.

* * *

Paige was leaning into Emily arms, as Emily did her best to comfort her. She stroked Paige's hair and lightly kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry Em," Paige said. "I guess I just got a bit freaked out."

"It's understandable," Emily said.

"You're probably shocked too," Paige said.

"You could say that," Emily replied.

"Are you OK?" Paige asked. "You've been so busy looking after me."

"I don't know," Emily replied, and she didn't. It had all come out of the blue.

"How do you feel about it?" Paige asked.

"Surprised, I guess," Emily said. "And worried about Hanna."

"Worried?" Paige responded.

"She probably feels terrible now," Emily explained.

"You're not angry?" Paige asked.

"Maybe I should be, I don't know," Emily said. "But it's Hanna. I care about her too much to just be angry. I want to make sure she's OK."

"I doubt she'll want to talk right now," Paige said.

"I know," agreed Emily. "But I should send her a text."

Emily disentangled herself from Paige and picked up her phone.

She composed a short message.

"Hey Han, just spoken with Paige, want to make sure you're OK. We'll work this out. Emily"

Paige looked at what Emily sent and started to cry.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked.

"Nothing," Paige replied. "You just care about other people so much. It's beautiful. Make sure you're OK too."

"Caring about the people I love is how I stay OK," Emily replied.

* * *

Emily went over to Hanna's house the next morning.

Ashley answered the door.

"Emily, I'm so glad you're here. Hanna won't come out of her room. Do you know what's going on?" she asked.

"A little," Emily replied. "I need to talk to her."

* * *

Hanna stared resolutely forward, refusing to make eye contact with Emily.

"Can't we just forget it?" she asked.

She sounded angry, but Emily knew she was angry at herself.

"I don't think we could if we wanted to," Emily replied.

"Look, I'm really good at ignoring things," Hanna said. "I do it all the time."

"I just want to know what it meant," Emily said.

"It meant nothing because it didn't happen," Hanna snapped back.

"Please Hanna," Emily said. "I want to know."

"Well I can't tell you, can I?" Hanna responded.

"Hanna, I'm your best friend," Emily said. "You can tell me anything."

"You don't get it," Hanna said, almost shouting now. "I kissed your girlfriend. You should be angry at me. You should hate me."

Emily put a hand on Hanna's shoulder.

"Pretend I'm someone else," she suggested.

"What?" Hanna asked.

"Pretend I'm a complete stranger you're telling the story to," Emily explained.

Hanna looked up at the ceiling and too a deep breath.

"I kissed my best friend's girlfriend," Hanna began. "I completely screwed up. We've been through everything together and I betrayed her."

Hanna paused for a moment before continuing.

"My friend… she's always been there for me and now…" Hanna voice was breaking up. "Now it's all gone because I was an idiot. She's going to hate me and I deserve it. I just… lost control. And now it's over. I don't want to lose her. I don't."

Hanna was crying now.

Emily waited a moment, but Hanna seemed to have finished.

"This friend," Emily said. "If you've been through so much together, I'm sure she doesn't want to lose you either. You've been there for her too. When you're ready, you should talk to her."

Emily studied Hanna's face for a reaction, but there was none.

"She'll understand," Emily added. "She cares about you."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** This was written after Caleb left for Ravenswood. Just in case it's not clear, the bit in present tense is Hanna imagining.

* * *

Hanna sat in bed, looking out the window.

 _Spencer, Aria and Emily had been trying to cheer Hanna up after Caleb left. She had barely left the house in two weeks and they were getting worried about her._

 _"Look, there's a party on this weekend at Bridget Wu's," Spencer said. "It would be a great chance for you to get out, get your mind off things."_

 _"No!" Hanna replied. "I don't want to get my mind off things. I want to stay home and be miserable."_

 _"Listen, we understand…" Spencer began._

 _"No you don't!" Hanna said, cutting her off._

 _"Maybe this is a bad idea," suggested Aria._

 _"Yes," agreed Hanna. "There is no way I'm going."_

 _Through the week they wore her down though, so she went but made a point of not enjoying herself._

 _Late in the night she wandered around the party. Most people were dancing in the living room, or drinking and talking in the kitchen. Hanna couldn't face either, so she sat at the foot of the stairs in the hallway._

 _"Hanna," came a voice._

 _It was Paige._

 _"Hi," was all Hanna could muster in response._

 _"Do you want a lift home?" Paige asked._

 _Hanna nodded._

 _Once Paige had told Emily what she was doing, she left with Hanna._

 _They drove home in silence._

 _"Thanks," Hanna said as they pulled up at her house._

 _"You just need some more time," Paige said._

 _"I'm glad someone understands," Hanna replied._

 _Paige looked uncomfortable._

 _"Look, I know the others mean well," Hanna said. "It's just that right now I don't want to be over it."_

 _"I know," said Paige. "It takes it's own time. You don't need to rush it."_

 _"Thanks," said Hanna. "For everything."_

* * *

Emily's phone rang. It was Hanna.

"I'm ready to talk," Hanna said. "Can you come over?"

* * *

Paige thought over and over about the kiss. She was angry at Hanna, though she could see the irony. But she was also angry at herself, because as she thought about the kiss, she imagined how it might have been if Hanna had not backed away. She pictured herself kissing Hanna, embracing her, and she hated the way that made her feel.

* * *

"I'm so sorry Em," Hanna said. "I don't know what to say."

"Do you know why you did it?" Emily asked calmly.

"Because…" Hanna began, but then stopped.

She looked out of the window, nervously fidgeting with her bracelet.

Emily waited, but Hanna kept looking away from her, unable to respond.

"Do you have feelings for Paige?" Emily asked, her voice steady and measured.

Hanna nodded, but still avoided looking at Emily.

"OK," said Emily, looking down.

She had expected this, but it still hit hard.

"You're allowed to be angry at me," Hanna said in almost a whisper.

"I don't want to," Emily replied.

"You should," Hanna said. "If you don't let yourself get angry you'll end up chasing me around the house with an axe or something."

Emily couldn't help smiling. Hanna was still Hanna.

"You will," Hanna insisted. "I've seen those movies you watch. It always happens. It's the quiet ones, you know."

Emily found herself laughing, though it seemed strange to do so.

For the first time in the conversation Hanna looked directly at Emily.

"You should be angry though," Hanna said. "You have every right to be."

"I'm not though," Emily replied. "I'm just worried. I don't know how this is going to work out."

"It will be really awkward but I'll just have to get over it," Hanna said.

Emily took hold of Hanna's hand.

"Hanna, you were there for me when I needed you," she said. "I want to be here for you now."

* * *

Paige went for her run that afternoon. She pushed herself harder than she usually did, as the effort helped release the tension from her body.

The woods were beautiful this time of year, and peaceful. All she could hear was the tread of her feet on the ground as she ran. The steady rhythm of her pace was relaxing, taking her away from her worries to a world entirely contained within the winding path she followed.

Soon she realized she had gone out too hard though. She had to stop, and leaned against a tree as she tried to get her breath back.

As her lungs drew in the clean woodland air, Paige could see what was happening.

Her friendship with Hanna was something new. That was all it was. She knew she still loved Emily, so the feelings she had for Hanna, they must be a crush at most. Nothing real. Hanna was nice, but Paige couldn't be falling for her. She loved Emily too much for that.

* * *

Hanna picked up the coaster sitting on her desk.

She rolled her eyes. How could she be so frickin' stupid? She'd kept the coaster.

 _Table hockey was hard. That puck moved so quickly, and Aria was good at this. Hanna was flailing away trying to connect, but every time she did she swept though where the puck had been when it had already gone past. She looked at up at Aria, her eyes fixed on the target, her hand moving in perfect time. As Hanna studied Aria, the puck went past into Hanna's goal._

 _"Yes!" Aria cried, raising her arms triumphantly._

 _"Goal! Aria wins," Spencer announced._

 _"What? Is it over already?" Hanna asked._

 _"Yes. You didn't even score," Spencer replied._

 _"Stupid game," said Hanna._

 _"OK, Paige is up next," announced Spencer._

 _Paige took her position, her face intense with concentration._

 _Hanna stood beside Emily at the side of the board._

 _"Go Paige! Go Paige!" they chanted, punching the air in unison._

 _Paige looked up at them, and as she did Aria hit the puck straight past her into the goal._

 _"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Aria said, laughing as she did. "I'll start again."_

 _It was a hard fought battle, but Aria won and was crowned table hockey champion, once again._

 _"Stupid game anyway," said Hanna. "Paige, they've got pinball!"_

 _"OK! Em, you want to play?" Paige asked._

 _"No, I'll just have a soda with the others," Emily replied. "You go though."_

 _They kissed._

* * *

"Hey Em," came Paige's voice at the other end of the phone.

"Hey," said Emily.

"How you going?" Paige asked.

"OK, I guess," Emily replied. "A bit drained. It's been intense."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Paige asked.

"No, I'm just going to have a bath and an early night," Emily said.

"How's Hanna?" Paige asked.

"She feels pretty bad," Emily said. "I think I helped a bit."

"You really are… just amazing," Paige said.

"Are you OK?" Emily asked.

"Yeah," said Paige. "A bit tired too."

"Hanna wanted me to let you know she's really sorry," Emily said. "She wasn't up to calling you herself."

"Thanks," said Paige. "Probably for the best."

"I think so," agreed Emily. "We'll give it time and it should go back to normal."

"Hopefully," added Paige.

"Um, I might go now," said Emily. "I love you."

"I love you too," said Paige.

* * *

Hanna's thumb hovered over the "Send" button. The message just read: "Paige, please come over".

Hanna hesitated for a moment. She could see it now.

She opens the back door. Paige is waiting outside.

"We have to be quiet," she whispers. "My mom's asleep upstairs."

Hanna steps outside. As soon as she does Paige takes her into her arms and they kiss.

This time it's different. Hanna's eyes are closed and all she knows is the feel of Paige's mouth against hers. Paige takes Hanna's lower lip into her mouth, then releases it. Hanna lightly touches her tongue against Paige's lips. Paige responds in kind and Hanna opens her mouth, pressing her lips harder against Paige.

After a time Paige breaks the kiss and moves to Hanna's neck. Shivers flow across Hanna's skin as Paige moves her mouth up Hanna neck and gently bites on Hanna's earlobe.

Hanna thinks she can hear crying, but is too caught up in the moment to know.

Hanna pulls Paige in closer, but Paige pushes Hanna back against the wall and kisses her again. Hanna can feel Paige's breath, her heartbeat. Paige moves her hand down Hanna's body to her hip. Hanna starts to curl her leg around Paige, and Paige takes hold of it, moving her own thigh between Hanna's legs.

Hanna pulls away.

"No," she says.

Paige is gone.

Hanna hears the crying again. She steps away from the house. Now it is no longer quiet tears, but violent sobbing. As Hanna's eyes adjust to the darkness, she sees a figure sitting on the ground, weeping.

Emily looks up at her, accusingly. Hanna knows her betrayal is complete.

As Hanna lay in bed she felt sick. It scared her that she would even think of doing these things, but she desperately wanted to be with Paige.

She took a deep breath and deleted the message.

* * *

Emily was lying back in the bath, her head resting on the brim, doing her best to relax.

She knew how she was supposed to feel, but it wasn't how she felt. She pictured the scene which Paige had described, of Hanna kissing Paige, and she felt so sorry for Hanna. She could see the stunned expression on Paige's face, and she knew the sinking feeling Hanna would have felt in her stomach.

It must have been awful. If Hanna had been feeling this for a while but had been holding back… She couldn't be angry at Hanna, or jealous. Hanna was impulsive, reckless at time, but she was a caring friend and Emily knew Hanna would feel terrible at the thought of hurting Emily or Paige.

All Emily wanted was to make things better between the three of them. She could not give up her best friend or the girl she loved.

She had to do something. She just didn't know what.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** There's also no alive Alison in this story.

* * *

Hanna and Emily were standing in the park, looking at Alison's memorial. It had been restored as far as it could be. The seat had been fixed, the remaining pieces of tile joined together with cement filler, the cracked bowl put back in place with just two figures on the side.

"I never understood this," Emily said. "A is always sophisticated. This was just petty vandalism. Was it just to set me up, or were they trying to erase the memory of Ali somehow?"

"It was Lucas," Hanna said.

"What?" Emily asked, stunned.

"Lucas did it, not A," Hanna explained.

"You knew this?" Emily asked.

"Not at the time, but I found out later," Hanna said.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Emily asked.

There was a tension in her voice. She was probably angry, but didn't want to show it. It was a fair enough question, though Hanna didn't even know why she was telling Emily now. Perhaps she was just sick of keeping secrets.

"Because I felt responsible," Hanna said. "I thought it was my fault."

"How was it your fault?" Emily asked.

"Because he had a thing for me and I didn't feel that way for him," Hanna explained.

Emily just looked at her.

"Now I say it like that, it doesn't really make any sense, does it?" Hanna said. "Emily, I'm an idiot."

"No you're not," Emily said. "You just take on other people's stuff. Believe me, I understand."

They sat down.

"You don't have to worry about me," Hanna said.

"I do, because you're my friend," Emily replied. "I care about you."

"Well don't," Hanna responded. "I kissed your girlfriend. Let me work things out by myself."

"Hanna, I know what it's like to love someone and not be with them," Emily said. "And I know what it's like to feel as though you have no one to talk to. You need someone to talk to. If you'd rather it be Spencer or Aria that's fine…"

The thought of telling Spencer made Hanna shudder with fear.

"… but from the look on your face I'm guessing not," Emily continued. "So it will have to be me."

Hanna thought about it for a moment, but she knew Emily was right. As awkward as it was, it was still better than telling someone else. And anyway, she was Emily. They had always been there for each other.

"Is she angry with me?" Hanna asked.

"Paige?" Emily replied.

"Yeah," Hanna confirmed.

"No," said Emily. "I… I think she's a little confused, but definitely not angry."

"Em, I would leave town before I did anything to cause problems between you and Paige," Hanna said, but even as she spoke she felt ashamed. "Anything else, that is."

"That's not what I want," Emily insisted. "I don't want to lose you."

"Well then I'll just have to get over it," Hanna said.

"Whatever you need, you know you just have to ask," Emily said.

"Don't worry, I've done it before," Hanna replied.

She hadn't meant to say that, and the look on Emily's face told her that Emily had got the message.

"You mean…" Emily began.

"It's not the first time," Hanna said.

Emily looked at her for a moment, her face full of concern.

"Mona?" she asked.

"Ha, I might have saved us a lot of trouble if it had been," Hanna said.

"Spencer?" Emily asked.

"Could you imagine?" Hanna replied, though actually she could.

"Aria?" Emily asked.

Hanna looked at Emily for a moment. She really didn't know the effect she had on people.

"You're guessing everyone but yourself," Hanna pointed out.

"Oh," Emily replied.

"Yeah," Hanna said.

"Oh," Emily repeated.

"You were with Maya, then I was with Caleb, so it was never an possibility," Hanna said. "Like I said, I got over it."

* * *

Paige called Hanna's number, but it went through to her voicemail.

"Hey Hanna, it's Paige. It's OK, I just wanted to talk. Can you call me when you get a chance? Thanks."

* * *

Emily and Paige met at the Brew.

"I spoke with Hanna this morning," Emily said.

"How is she?" Paige asked.

"She'll be OK," Emily replied.

"How are you?" Paige asked.

"I'm… alright, I suppose," Emily said.

"I'm sorry all this has happened," Paige said.

"Yeah, me too," said Emily.

"Did Hanna say why?" Paige asked.

"She did," Emily replied. "She's… she has feelings for you."

"I'm sorry," Paige said.

Emily smiled.

"You don't have to be sorry," Emily assured her. "None of this is your fault. That's what I wanted to say. I wanted to thank you for telling me, for letting me know so quickly."

Emily reached across the table and took Paige's hands in her own.

"So many times I've messed up by keeping secrets," Emily continued. "By not telling the people I care about things I should have told them. By not trusting them. By keeping things to myself. You didn't. You came to me straight away. You trusted me. That means so much to me."

"I was mostly just freaked out," Paige said.

"But you did the right thing," Emily replied. "It was a tough situation and you did the right thing. Thank you."

Paige looked down.

"I love you, Paige," Emily said.

Paige looked back up, to see Emily gazing adoringly at her.

"I love you too, Emily," Paige said.

* * *

When Emily had left, Paige looked around the room.

 _Hanna, Spencer and Paige were sitting around the couch at the back of the Brew._

 _"Hey look," Hanna said. "This is my new favorite game, embarrassing Paige."_

 _"Why would you do that?" Spencer asked, laughing a little._

 _"Because she's so cute when she's embarrassed," Hanna replied. "Watch. Paige, did you ever have sex with Shana?"_

 _"No," Paige replied, trying to look undaunted by the question. "We only dated for three weeks."_

 _"What's wrong with having sex with someone you've only dated for three weeks?" Hanna asked._

 _"Nothing," replied Paige. "I'm not judging, it's just not me."_

 _"I think you've hit a nerve," observed Spencer._

 _"It's OK, Hanna," Paige added. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."_

 _"Look, I haven't had sex with someone I've only dated for three weeks," Hanna asserted. "I've tried but he wouldn't."_

 _"His loss," said Paige._

 _"Yeah!" agreed Hanna._

 _"OK, my turn," said Paige. "Did you ever have sex with Sean?"_

 _"Urgh, let's not talk about that," Hanna replied._

 _"I thought it was Paige who was supposed to be embarrassed now," Spencer said._

 _"I'm trying, OK!" replied Hanna, clearly flustered._

 _"So what happened with Sean's car?" Paige asked Spencer._

 _"No!" Hanna interrupted before Spencer could answer._

 _"Actually, it's quite funny," Spencer began._

 _"No, no, no," Hanna insisted._

 _"I shouldn't be talking about Sean anyway," Paige added._

 _"Hey Spence, Paige and I are spit sisters," Hanna proudly announced._

 _"What?" responded Spencer._

 _"It means we've both kissed the same guy," Hanna explained. "Which is pretty funny, considering Paige is gay."_

 _"I know what it means," Spencer said. "I just didn't know we were still in sixth grade."_

 _"We haven't kissed each other though," Paige noted._

 _"No, she said Emily might get mad," Hanna added._

 _At that point the front door opened and Emily came in. She saw them and walked over._

 _Once she was in earshot, Spencer spoke._

 _"You two better stop flirting, Emily's here," she announced, loudly._

 _"Are they at it again?" asked Emily in mock concern._

 _"Yeah, you need to keep an eye on your girlfriend," Spencer replied._

 _"It's probably for the best," Emily said. "You know what Hanna thinks of lesbians who don't flirt with her."_

 _"You never did," Spencer pointed out._

 _"That's OK, we were having sex anyway," Hanna explained._

* * *

Paige called Hanna again, but this time there was an answer.

"Hey Paige, I'm sorry," Hanna said.

"I wasn't calling up for an apology," Paige said. "I just, I don't know, I wanted to talk to you. It felt weird leaving things like that."

"Have you spoken with Emily?" Hanna asked.

"A bit, yeah," Paige replied.

"We shouldn't be talking, Paige," Hanna said. "It will just make things harder."

"Hanna, I…" Paige began, but Hanna had already hung up.

* * *

Paige lay on her bed, thinking of Hanna. It was still only evening, but she couldn't do anything else. She had barely eaten dinner, then had come up to her room and shut herself in.

Emily's thanks had made her feel even more fake. Paige had told her what had happened, but that was only half the story. She hadn't told Emily how she felt.

She loved Emily, more than anything, and the thought of losing her terrified Paige. But despite that, she couldn't stop thinking about Hanna. About the kiss.

She didn't understand why she felt this way. She had the girl of her dreams, the only one she had ever really loved. She couldn't see why that wasn't enough. It had been until now. She knew she still loved Emily though. That hadn't changed.

And she was worried about Hanna. She wanted to talk to her, tell her it was OK, but she couldn't. She felt terrible that Hanna was taking all the burden for this.

But her mind came back to the kiss.

She pictured it, over and over. She closed her eyes and saw herself kissing Hanna. Hanna was so beautiful, her smile so bright. She stepped forward and their lips met. They kissed.

As Paige thought of this, she undid the button on her jeans and slid her hand underneath her clothes. She pictured Hanna with her, now, lying beside her. The two of them were kissing passionately. Hanna began to move herself on top of Paige.

Paige gently rubbed her clit, and as she did she imagined it was Hanna who was touching her, teasing her, playing with her. Soon Hanna was pushing her fingers inside Paige, her thumb still outside, working Paige harder now, building her up.

Paige could feel herself getting closer. She arched her back and grabbed the bedhead behind her with her spare hand. Her body was tensing. She rubbed harder, grabbing at herself, pushing herself over the top. She let out a stifled cry and her body jerked violently as she climaxed, seeing Hanna warmly smiling at her as pleasure took over Paige's body. She held herself above the bed for what seemed like minutes as the sensation surged through her body.

Suddenly Paige's body released. She fell back down, laying flat on the bed, drained of all energy. For a moment she felt only bliss and contentment.

But soon that drained away. As it did, she began to feel guilty. Her mind went back to Emily and she felt like… she felt like she was lying to her, the woman she loved. She felt sick.

She knew what she had to do. She had to tell Emily.


	4. Chapter 4

_This time Hanna wanted to party. It was at Bridget Wu's again, but everything else was different. Hanna was the one who wanted to go, and Emily and Paige went along with her, mostly to make sure she was OK._

 _They needn't have worried._

 _When they arrived Bridget took Hanna under her wing._

 _"Hey Hanna!" Bridget said as soon as they walked through the door. "I'm so glad you could make it."_

 _"Sorry I was a big party pooper last time," Hanna said._

 _"Don't worry one bit," Bridget replied. "You were still getting over losing your boy. This time you're going to make up for it though. You will have a good time, and I'm going to see to it personally."_

 _Paige and Emily kept an eye on her all night, but surprisingly little alcohol was involved. Mostly it was just dancing, and Hanna was the belle of the ball, spending most of the night dancing with anyone and everyone, but mostly Bridget._

 _Paige and Emily took a break, but Hanna was still full of energy. She and Bridget were talking and laughing and dancing together._

 _"Hanna's dance moves are a bit…" Paige began._

 _"Intimate?" suggested Emily._

 _"Yeah," agreed Paige._

 _"Well at least she's got her flirt back," Emily said._

 _A slow song came on and Emily and Paige got back up to dance. Paige had her arms around Emily's shoulders, and Emily had her arms around Paige's waist. Paige just looked at Emily smiling back at her. She was so beautiful._

 _Just then Paige noticed Hanna in the corner of her eye. She looked over. Hanna and Bridget were dancing together, in a similar embrace. And kissing._

 _Paige slowly turned herself and Emily around, but didn't tell Emily why. She just wanted to see the look on Emily's face._

* * *

Paige was nervous. She hesitated for a moment before knocking on Emily's door. She could feel her heart beating as she waited for Emily to answer it.

She heard footsteps.

Emily opened the door with a big smile on her face, but as soon as she saw Paige she looked worried.

"Hi," said Paige.

"What's wrong?" asked Emily.

"I need to tell you something," Paige replied.

Inside they sat down in the dining room, on opposite sides of the table.

Paige was sweating now. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't. Emily reached out her hands to Paige, but Paige kept hers clasped in front of her.

She knew this would be hard, but she still wasn't prepared for it.

* * *

 _Hanna smiled all the way home._

 _"Thanks for coming along," she said._

 _"You would have been fine without us as it turned out," Emily said._

 _"It's still nice of you to look out for me," Hanna replied._

 _"It was a good party," Emily said._

 _"Yeah," said Hanna, ginning from ear to ear._

 _"You certainly enjoyed yourself," Paige said._

 _"Oh my God it was the best night ever!" Hanna exclaimed._

 _"So you had fun then," Emily said._

 _"It was awesome," Hanna replied._

 _They drove a little further, Hanna just smiling to herself._

 _"Should I, you know… call her?" Hanna asked._

 _"What do you want to do?" asked Emily._

 _"It was fun, but I'm not sure I want to date her or anything," Hanna replied._

 _"What do you think she wants?" Emily asked._

 _"I don't know," Hanna replied._

 _"What did she say before you left?" Paige asked._

 _"Um, she said she had a great night, and that she might see me around," Hanna answered._

 _"Then I don't think she's looking for more," Emily said. "Would still be nice to call though."_

 _"Were you guys… surprised?" Hanna asked._

 _Paige and Emily looked at each other._

 _"Yes and no," Emily replied._

 _"Hey! Maybe you guys could give me tips and stuff," Hanna said, excitedly._

 _"What about?" Emily asked._

 _"I don't know," Hanna said. "But I might have questions or something."_

 _"Come to us," Emily replied._

 _"Absolutely," agreed Paige._

* * *

"Paige, I love you, and whatever it is you need to say I'm here to listen, but I'm getting worried now," Emily said. "Please speak to me."

"Em, I… I didn't tell you everything," Paige said eventually.

"Everything about what?" Emily asked.

"About what happened," Paige replied.

"What happened with Hanna?" Emily asked.

"Yes," Paige replied, but didn't say anymore.

She was starting to feel sick. She was committed now, but still didn't feel ready.

"OK," Emily said calmly, but she was clearly concerned. "Did something else happen?"

"It wasn't… I mean, it was just the kiss, and it was like what I said, it just, it wasn't… I mean…" Paige couldn't get the words out.

"Please Paige," said Emily. "I need you to just say what happened."

Paige took several deep breaths. Her hands were shaking now.

"Nothing else happened that day," she said, "but I feel like I'm lying to you."

"Why?" Emily asked.

"Because it's not just Hanna," Paige replied. "I have feelings for her too."

She had said it.

She couldn't look at Emily. She hated herself for what she was doing to the girl she loved, but she had to. There was no other way.

* * *

 _Paige had dropped Emily off, and was now taking Hanna home._

 _"I don't mean to pry," Paige said, "But was that the first time you've kissed a girl?"_

 _"Don't worry about prying," Hanna said. "You know me. And yeah, it was."_

 _"Would you date a girl?" Paige asked._

 _"Well yeah," Hanna replied. "I mean I wanted to date Emily once but… Oops, I didn't mean to say that."_

 _"It's OK," Paige said, laughing a little._

 _"Please don't tell Emily," Hanna begged._

 _"I won't," Paige assured her._

 _"I am so sorry," Hanna said._

 _"Don't worry about it," Paige said._

 _"It was a long time ago. It really was," Hanna said._

 _"Hanna…" Paige began._

 _"I mean, I was single," Hanna explained. "I kind of realized and, well, we've always been close. Plus it's Emily and I do have eyes…"_

 _"Hanna…" Paige said again._

 _"I probably should stop now," Hanna said._

 _"Probably," Paige agreed._

 _They pulled up outside of Hanna's house._

 _"Thanks for the lift," Hanna said. "And sorry I said I wanted to date your girlfriend. I mean once. A long time ago."_

 _"I'm glad you had a good night," Paige replied, smiling._

 _Hanna leaned across and hugged Paige._

 _"It's great to have you to talk to," Hanna said. "You and Em have to never break up."_

 _"That's my plan too," Paige replied._

 _"Then when the two of you are old and married I'll come around and be embarrassing and you'll both roll your eyes but we'll still be friends," Hanna proposed._

 _"It's a deal," said Paige._

* * *

"Why are you telling me this?" Emily asked.

Paige hadn't expected that question.

"Because I feel like I'm lying," she replied.

"What are you lying about?" Emily asked.

"I don't know," Paige said. "But you and Hanna are talking like she's the only one, like it was just that she had a crush on me, and I… I had to own up."

"Do you still love me?" Emily asked.

"Yes," Paige replied. "Emily, I love you more than anything. I don't understand why I feel this way about Hanna because I still love you."

"You still love me?" Emily repeated.

"Yes," Paige said. "Totally. Absolutely. Completely."

"Do you still want to be with me?" Emily asked.

"Yes," Paige replied. "I never want anything else."

"Then you didn't need to tell me this," Emily said.

For a moment Paige's heart sank. She had messed up. Again. And now she might lose Emily forever.

She looked directly at Emily. She was shocked by the despair on Emily's face, but she had to keep going.

"Emily, I had to," she replied. "You would have still known something was wrong but you wouldn't have known what. It would have pulled us apart. I'm telling you now because I love you, because I want to be with you. I feel terrible. I do. I wish there was another way. But right now this feels like our only chance, so I have to take it."

Emily stood up and walked away from the table. She stood, arms crossed, facing away from Paige.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

"Nothing," Paige replied, because that was all she had.

"Nothing?" Emily's voice was getting louder. "Nothing? You come here, tell me… that, and say I'm supposed to do nothing?"

Emily turned to face Paige now. Her face was twitching, her mouth crooked and tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"How?" she demanded. " _How am I supposed to do that_?"

Emily stared at Paige, her face pleading for some sort of answer, but Paige had none.


	5. Chapter 5

Emily sat on the window seat, curled up in a tight ball with her knees just under her chin. Her breathing was becoming harder, like she had to pull the air in. Her vision was narrowing to the dresser across the room, at which she was staring unwaveringly.

It was getting worse. She couldn't breath. She tried to stand up but the room moved around her. She fell into the wall then slowly slid down to the floor.

* * *

Paige paced back and forth.

She knew Emily needed time, but the waiting was killing her. She had to remind herself that she had known this for a while now, but Emily had only just found out. She would be scared. She would feel helpless. She needed Paige, and Paige couldn't be there for her.

Paige left her room and marched down the stairs. Her parents said something as she went past, but she ignored them.

Once she was outside, she saw her bike. She wanted to jump on and ride over to Emily's, to comfort her and tell her it would be OK. Like she had tried to do this morning.

She got out her phone and dialed.

"Spencer," she said.

"Oh, hi Paige," Spencer replied.

"I need a favor," Paige said. "Emily and I… I suppose you could say we had a fight. I'm worried about her. She needs someone, but she doesn't want to see me."

"I'll go straight over," Spencer said.

* * *

Aria looked at Hanna like she'd just announced she was an alien.

"You kissed Paige?" she repeated for confirmation.

"Yeah," Hanna replied.

"Does Emily know?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, Paige told her," Hanna said.

"What did she say?" Aria asked.

"She was Emily," Hanna said. "She told me she wasn't angry and asked if there was anything she could do to help. Why can't she just yell at me like a normal person?"

"Are things OK with her and Paige?" Aria asked.

"They're fine," Hanna said. "Paige didn't do anything wrong. She just stood there with a look on her face like the one you've got now."

"I'm sorry," Aria said, breaking her stare.

Hanna fell back on the bed.

"I am such an idiot," she said.

"No," protested Aria, halfheartedly.

"Do not tell Spencer, OK?" insisted Hanna.

"I won't," said Aria.

"The last thing I need is her judging me," Hanna added.

* * *

"A lot of this is Hanna's fault," Spencer insisted.

"When I thought it was just Hanna I was fine," Emily responded. "I was more worried about her than about me."

"But Paige didn't actually do anything," Spencer replied. "She just feels guilty for maybe thinking about…"

"Yes and she dealt with the guilt by dumping this on me," Emily snapped.

Spencer recoiled a little.

"I'm sorry," Emily said. "I'm just a bit tense at the moment."

"Emily, I'm here because Paige was worried about you," Spencer said.

"I'm sure she was," Emily replied.

"She still cares about you," Spencer said.

"Then why… why did any of this happen?" Emily asked.

"Well, romantic feelings are a lot more complicated than we imagine," Spencer explained. "There are a lot of studies which show that…"

"Spencer, I know you're trying to help," Emily said. "But I don't need an analysis right now."

"OK," Spencer said. "I'm just saying that feelings aren't always neat and tidy, but it doesn't mean she doesn't love you."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"I'm scared, Spencer," Emily said. "I don't want to lose her."

As she said it she broke down again. She put her face in her hands and cried. Spencer moved up beside her and put her arm around Emily. Emily let her hands fall and rested her head on Spencer's shoulder. And cried.

* * *

"Paige, just leaving Emily's now. She's upset but has settled down. Wants to be alone. Let me know if you need anything. Spencer"

* * *

Hanna received the first message in the early evening.

"Hey! good news paige likes u to"

Soon after it was followed by another.

"i know u 2 should go on a date!"

She rang Emily.

"Oh hey Hanna," came the voice at the other end, sounding happy and with a sing-song tone. "Did you hear the good news?"

"Emily, you're drunk," Hanna said.

"I'm just celebrating," Emily replied.

"What are you talking about?" Hanna asked.

"Paige… likes… youuuuu," Emily said.

"What?" Hanna asked.

"Paige and Hanna sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Emily sang.

"Emily, I'm coming over," Hanna said.

"No, no, no, no, no," Emily replied. "You should go to see Paige. She'll be very happy to see you."

"I'll be there soon," Hanna said, and hung up.

* * *

As Paige arrived at Emily's she saw Hanna waiting at the front door.

Hanna turned and glared at her.

"Emily was sending me strange messages," Paige explained. "I think she's drunk."

"You too," Hanna replied.

"Oh," said Paige.

"Look, what the hell did you tell her?" Hanna asked. "She keeps saying we should go on a date."

Just then the door opened. It was Emily.

"Hey!" Emily exclaimed. "It's the two love birds. Do you need somewhere discreet? I can go away if you want to be alone. Jenna might take me in."

"Em, I was worried about you," Hanna said.

"Forget about me," Emily said. "You both should. Just go off and be happy in love."

"We're here because we love you," Hanna said.

"Please Em, we need to know you're OK," Paige added.

"I'm fine," Emily replied. "I'm just having a few drinks. By myself, of course. Who else would want to?"

* * *

Emily sat down on the couch. Paige quickly grabbed the half full vodka bottle and glass off the coffee table and took them into the kitchen. Hanna followed her, keeping an eye on Emily.

"Is this too weird?" Hanna whispered. "Us both being here?"

"A bit," Paige replied in a similarly hushed voice. "But we need to help her."

"No kissing in the kitchen!" Emily called out.

"God, this is all my fault," Hanna said.

"No it's mine," Paige responded.

"You didn't answer me before," Hanna said. "What did you tell her?"

"That I had feelings for you too," Paige replied, too tired to keep secrets any more.

"Why did you say something stupid like that?" Hanna asked.

"Because it's true," Paige said. "And she deserved to know."

"Yeah, well this is what it's done to her," Hanna pointed out.

"I know," Paige said.

Hanna stared at Paige for a moment.

"Paige, what do you want?" she asked.

"Right now, I want to look after Emily," Paige replied.

"OK then, that's what we'll do," Hanna declared.

* * *

Emily could barely walk now, and it took some time to get her up the stairs. They dragged her into her room and lay her down on the bed.

"Thank you," Emily said. "You can go now if you want."

"No Em, I'm going to stay here," Paige replied.

Hanna started taking Emily's shoes off.

"That's nice," Emily said. "I really shouldn't be wearing those on my bed. Mom will be very angry if she catches me. And the vodka."

"Are you warm enough?" Paige asked.

"Yeah," Emily said.

"She might still need a blanket," Hanna suggested.

"Why wasn't I good enough?" Emily asked.

"Em, no, it's not like that at all," Paige protested.

"But you're going to leave me," Emily replied.

"No I'm not," Paige insisted.

"Maybe I better go," Hanna suggested.

"Yeah," agreed Paige.

Hanna turned and left the room. Suddenly it dawned on Paige. She turned and went after Hanna, catching up with her on the stairs.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Paige said.

"What do you care?" Hanna asked.

"I just do," Paige replied. "And I hate that I can't talk to you."

"Look Paige, if you want to keep your girlfriend, forget about me and go back into that room now," Hanna said.

With that Hanna continued down the stairs, Paige watching her go. As she left, Paige went back to Emily.

Emily was lying on the bed now, fully clothed, and barely conscious.

Paige sat down next to her and brushed the hair from Emily's face.

"You don't love me any more," Emily said, quietly and calmly.

"I do Emily," Paige protested. "I still love you. That hasn't changed."

"No you don't," insisted Emily, in barely a whisper now. "You just feel sorry for me."

Emily reached out and grabbed Paige's arm, pulling it towards her. Paige lay down beside Emily. They put their arms around each other, as they had done so many times before. And Emily closed her eyes.

Emily's face was peaceful now. The stress, the fear, the anguish was gone.

"I love you so much," Paige began, her voice quiet in the sudden stillness of the room. "You are the most amazing person I've ever met, and you have the most beautiful soul. You are so full of kindness and warmth, and you care about everyone, even people you don't know, even people who have treated you badly. I am a better person because of you. I just have to look at you and I feel happy. I would never leave you, Em. Never."

Paige always struggled to put her feelings into words, and this was no different. In any case, it didn't matter. Emily was already asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_Emily and Paige stood facing each other. They had packed their things and tidied up the motel room. They were ready to go now._

 _Paige stepped forward and lightly kissed Emily._

 _"It was a great," she said._

 _"Yeah," agreed Emily._

 _The two of them hugged, Paige gently rubbing Emily's back. Things had changed so much in a day, and Emily seemed to be losing the sadness which had built up around her._

 _Emily stepped back and looked at Paige, her face a mix of tenderness and nerves._

 _"It's time to talk," Emily said. "I need to ask you something."_

* * *

When Emily woke up she felt awful. Her head was sore, her stomach was churning, her mouth was dry. She started to remember the previous night and felt even worse.

She opened her eyes.

Paige was lying next to her, their arms around each other.

"Hey Em," Paige said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I drank half a bottle of vodka last night," Emily replied.

"I'll get you some water," Paige said. "You're probably a bit dry."

"Thanks," Emily said. "You're still here."

"I'm still here," Paige confirmed.

"How long have you been awake?" Emily asked.

"About an hour," Paige replied.

"And you just lay there?" Emily asked.

"You looked so peaceful," Paige explained. "I didn't want to wake you."

* * *

Paige tidied up the house, but it seemed that Emily was a fairly neat drunk. She had only used one bottle and one glass and, surprisingly given how drunk she was, had not spilled or knocked over anything.

After Emily had a shower Paige got her a juice, some toast and a coffee.

Emily seemed quiet, but Paige had expected that. After the previous night she would be. Every time Paige gave her something or did something for her, she would say "Thank you" and smile, but she said little apart from that. She ate her breakfast in silence. She didn't seem angry, or upset, but Paige was having trouble reading her. Maybe she just didn't feel much at all.

As Paige cleaned up the dishes, Emily finally spoke.

"Thank you for looking after me last night," she said. "And sorry about the messages."

"You don't need to apologize," Paige said.

"I guess I lost it a little yesterday," Emily said.

"I know," Paige said. "It was my fault. I'm sorry."

"You had to tell me some time," Emily replied.

Her voice was very flat. Paige couldn't tell whether she really believed this, or was just trying it out.

"How do you feel now?" Paige asked.

"Shocked," Emily answered. "Scared. Surprised. Apprehensive."

Paige sat down next to Emily.

"Em, I love you," she said. "I've been going over it all in my head. Why I feel this way, and whether… whether I told you for the right reasons. The truth is, I don't know any more. But the thing I do know, the most important thing of all, is that I still love you. My first priority will always be us. I want to fix things."

"I believe you," Emily said.

A feeling or relief swept over Paige. This was a start.

"Yesterday," Emily continued, "I have to admit I didn't. But now I do."

"What can I do for you?" Paige asked.

"The breakfast was nice," Emily replied, and she smiled. For the first time since Paige had broken the news to her, she smiled. "And I had an idea. I want… I want to get out of Rosewood, even for just a day. Just the two of us. We could just drive and go somewhere quiet and be together."

"Sounds wonderful," Paige said.

"You'll have to drive, of course," Emily added.

"I'd say so," Paige replied.

* * *

They had chosen a route and a place to stay overnight. Emily was packing some clothes, and Paige was about to go home to get ready.

"We'd better let the others know," Emily said. "They might be worried about me."

"Yeah," agreed Paige.

"I'll call Spencer," Emily said.

"OK," said Paige.

"You can call Hanna if you like," Emily said, as if answering a question which Paige hadn't asked.

"I could just message her or something…" Paige said.

"It's OK," Emily said. "You should talk to her."

* * *

"Hi Hanna," Paige said.

"Does Emily know you're calling me?" Hanna asked.

"Yes," said Paige. "She suggested it."

"Is she OK?" Hanna asked.

"Better than yesterday," Paige replied. "She's over the panic, but she and I need to sort things out."

"Yeah," agreed Hanna.

"I'm sorry about last night," Paige said.

"Me too," said Hanna.

"Look, I wanted to let you know we're going away for a day," Paige said. "Just to clear our heads. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon."

"That's a great idea," said Hanna. "Getting out of this place will be good for you."

"Will you be alright," Paige said.

"I'll be OK," said Hanna. "Spencer and Aria both know now, which is a bit humiliating but good because I've got them if I need someone. You just worry about Emily."

"OK," said Paige.

"Paige," Hanna began. "Just one thing. Don't break her heart, and especially not over me. If you did that I could never forgive you."

"I understand," Paige replied.

* * *

The drive was beautiful. Most of the trip was through the woods, and for a long time Emily just sat, staring out the window, watching the trees speed past.

It all seemed so calm, so peaceful, so… normal. Just the two of them, spending time together, having fun. After the drama of the previous day, she needed this more than anything.

She had never doubted that she still loved Paige, indeed that was what had made it so hard, but she was hoping that this could remind them both of what they had together. Then they could think about the future.

* * *

"You really haven't played mini golf before?" Paige asked, almost unable to believe such a thing was true.

"I have never played mini golf before," Emily replied.

The waitress, Anne, brought them their burgers.

"Do you know if the mini golf is open today?" Paige asked her.

"It is," she replied. "It's open almost every day."

"My friend here has never played mini golf before," Paige explained.

Anne turned to Emily in shock.

"You poor thing," she said.

"It's OK," Paige said. 'We're going to fix that today."

* * *

Emily's first shot went way to the left, hit the side barrier, then another, then rolled back to almost return to her feet.

"It's OK," Paige explained. "You'll get used to it. You just have to let the club swing like a pendulum, rather than pulling it across your body."

As Paige was explaining the mechanics of the game to Emily, a boy of about eight or nine who was playing on another hole came over.

"I can show you," he announced.

Emily smiled at the boy.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"My name is William," he replied.

"My name is Emily," she said, "and this is Paige."

William ignored Paige, however, as he had more important things to do.

"Show me how you hold the club," he said.

Emily demonstrated her grip for him.

"No, no, no," he said. "Your thumbs should both be going along the line of the handle."

She moved her thumbs as instructed.

"Now make sure your shoulders are above the ball," he continued. "They should form a 'v' shape."

Emily adjusted her stance and tried to hit the ball, but again it went left.

"You need to swing from your shoulders not your elbows," William said.

He continued to instruct and correct Emily. Meanwhile the older woman who had been with the boy also came over.

"I'm sorry," she said to Paige. "He gets very bossy some times."

"He knows his mini golf," Paige observed.

"We come here every week," the woman said. "He loves it. My names Cecelia, by the way. I'm William's grandmother."

"He's a very confident little boy," said Paige.

"You could say that," said Cecelia.

"That's it," William was telling Emily. "Now make sure you follow through in a straight line when you hit the ball. Don't stop the swing at the ball."

"Emily has never played before," Paige explained. "I was going to show her but it looks like she has another teacher."

"He loves showing people how to play," Cecelia said. "It's about the only time he talks to people he doesn't know. He must have played this course a hundred times or more, but he still loves coming here with Granma, then getting a ice-cream afterwards."

While William was a very strict task master, Emily was still enjoying herself.

"You're very good at this," she said to William.

After some more instruction, she managed to hit the ball straight, and it went past the barriers, down the ramp and stopped near the hole.

"Are the two of you on holiday?" Cecelia asked.

"No, we just live nearby," Paige replied. "In Rosewood. We just wanted to get away for a day. Just to relax a little."

"Rosewood? Strange town, I hear," Cecelia said.

With William's help, Emily finished the first hole. Not even waiting for Paige, William took Emily to the next hole. Emily shot Paige a smile over her shoulder, but it was obvious she had to keep moving.

"If you don't mind my asking," said Cecelia, "are you two a couple?"

"Yes," Paige replied. "We've been together about two years."

"I thought so," said Cecelia. "It's always nice to see two people in love."

William took Emily around the whole course, showing her the best path for each hole and painstakingly correcting her stroke when needed.

When they had finished, Emily finally got to say hello to Cecelia.

"Your grandson could be a famous golfer one day," Emily said.

"Normal golf is boring," William said. "The holes are too long and they don't have any buildings on them."

Emily crouched down to Williams height.

"Thank you very much for showing me how to play," she said.

"If you keep practicing you will get better," he replied.

"We're going to go now," Emily said. "Would you like a hug?"

William shook his head.

"I don't like hugs," he said.

"OK," Emily said. "We won't do that then."

They all said their goodbyes.

"You have a lovely grandson," Emily said to Cecelia.

"He's a good boy," Cecelia agreed. "It was very nice meeting the two of you."

"Goodbye William," Emily said, smiling and waving.

"Goodbye," William responded, with a much more serious look on his face.

Cecelia learned in towards Paige.

"You've got a great girl there," she said. "You keep hold of her."

* * *

The motel room was very brown. The walls were wood veneer, the carpet was dark brown, the chairs and desk were brown, the bedspread was two different shades of brown.

Emily looked up.

The ceiling was white at least.

Apart from that, it was small, but seemed clean and comfortable and had room for everything they had brought, which was not much in any case.

Once they had settled in they both sat back on the bed.

"This is nice," Paige said.

"It is," Emily agreed.

"What time should we have dinner?" Paige asked.

"Well, the restaurant opens at six, but I was thinking we could go later," Emily replied.

"What did you want to do?" Paige asked.

Emily just smiled at her.

"Oh," said Paige.

* * *

It had been going so well.

They started off kissing. After all the stress of the last few days, Paige was quickly lost in the pleasure of kissing Emily again. She pulled Emily closer, trying to bring as much of their bodies in contact as possible.

Emily began pulling at Paige's clothes, trying to undress her without releasing the kiss. This proved futile so they parted for a moment.

Kneeling on the bed, Paige hurriedly pulled off her t-shirt.

"Wait," Emily said, and Paige stopped what she was doing.

Emily got of the bed and gestured for Paige to do the same.

Paige stood, and Emily walked around behind her. Paige's heart was racing, but she remained perfectly still. Emily reached around her and undid the button and the zip on her jeans, then slowly pulled them down. Paige stepped out of them when they reached the floor.

Emily then gently kissed Paige's neck while removing Paige's bra. Finally, Emily gently pulled down Paige's panties.

Paige was now standing naked.

Emily lifted up Paige's hair and kissed the back of her neck. Paige shivered.

"Don't look," Emily whispered in her ear. Paige could feel Emily's breath against her ear as she spoke.

Soon Paige could hear Emily undressing. Paige started to turn her head.

"No peeking," said Emily.

She could hear Emily unzip her jeans, then the brush of fabric against skin as she pulled them off.

After a moment, Emily put her arms around Paige, and their bodies touched, skin against skin. Emily ran her hands over Paige's stomach, her hips, her breasts, her legs.

"Close your eyes," Emily whispered, and Paige complied.

She could hear footsteps, then the springs of the bed.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Emily cried.

Paige opened her eyes. Emily was clutching her calf muscle, crying in pain.

"Cramp!" Emily said, before Paige could even ask.

Paige knew what to do. They stretched Emily's leg out, pulling back the foot to stretch the muscle until the pain eased.

Eventually Emily relaxed.

"Ow," she said, laying back on the bed. "Messed up my seduction routine a little."

They lay together for a while, just holding hands.

"Maybe you need a massage," suggested Paige.

"Yes, that could be good," said Emily.

Paige knew what to do. Despite the circumstances, Emily needed a proper sporting massage. Paige took hold of Emily's lower leg and vigorously attacked it for a few minutes until the muscle stress was gone.

When she was done, Paige lay back down next to Emily.

"Thank you," Emily said.

"You good to go?" Paige asked.

Emily smiled.

"That didn't kill the mood?" she responded.

"Emily, you and I are lying naked together in a cute motel room," Paige replied. "A heard of elephants couldn't kill the mood."

Emily grabbed Paige's face with both hands and kissed her.

* * *

Paige was lying next to Emily, one arm around Emily's shoulders, the other between Emily's legs. She was working Emily harder now, bringing her up, and she could see the pleasure on Emily's face. Emily's eyes were scrunched tight, and her mouth open as she panted from the exertion. Paige loved seeing this.

"Paige… please…" Emily said.

Paige knew what Emily wanted.

Her hand still stimulating Emily, Paige moved down and positioned herself between Emily's thighs.

She began teasing Emily with her tongue, just a few flicks at first.

"Please!" Emily cried under her breath.

Paige moved her mouth in closer to Emily and began licking faster. She could see the muscles in Emily's stomach tensing and relaxing. Paige pressed her lips against Emily a little as she licked, then slipped her fingers inside Emily, first two, then three, quickly moving them in and out.

Emily was building up now, her hips jerking up and down. Paige had to prop herself up a little to keep in contact.

Paige kept going faster.

"Yes… Paige… oh fuck yes… fuck…" Emily was crying out.

Emily grabbed the back of Paige's head and pressed Paige's face against her. Paige was having trouble breathing now, but she loved this. All she was aware of was the feel of Emily, the sound, the sight, the smell and the taste of the girl she loved.

Paige kept going, putting all of her energy into pleasuring Emily with her fingers and her tongue.

"Fuck!" Emily yelled. She grabbed the pillow next to her held it over her mouth then screamed.

Paige could see every muscle in Emily's body tense up. Emily raised her hips off the bed, but Paige continued to push harder. For what seemed like minutes Emily held herself like this, shaking and jerking, screaming into the pillow.

It took some time to subside, but when it did Emily collapsed and lay still. Paige crawled back up the bed and lay next to her. Emily threw away the pillow she had been using to muffle the noise she was making, and hugged Paige like she was clinging on for life.

Emily was puffing and her eyes were still only half open. Paige felt a little proud of herself.

"Sorry…" Emily said, between gasping for air. "I'm going… to need a minute…"

"It's OK, Em," Paige said. "You know I like making my girl happy."

"No…" Emily replied. "When I get… my strength back… your turn… you'll see… just you wait…"

* * *

They made it in time for dinner, but only just. They both ended up having the chicken schnitzel with salad, as there wasn't a lot else left. It was nice though.

"So how are your parents?" Emily asked.

"Dad's OK," Paige replied. "Work is work. Mom's enrolling in a craft course."

"What's she doing?" Emily asked.

"I don't actually know," said Paige. "Craft of some sort. We'll find out, I suppose. She's very excited about it. She's always had a bit of a creative side."

"You see, I didn't even know that," Emily said. "I'll have to ask her about it when I see her next."

"I'm sure she'd love to tell you all about it," Paige said. "She likes you. Even when dad was unhappy about everything, Mom still thought you were nice."

"Really?" Emily asked.

"Yeah," said Paige. "When we got back together she was really happy."

"That's nice," Emily said.

"Mom's a good judge of character," said Paige.

* * *

They slept in a little the next morning, but they were planning on getting breakfast on the way back anyway.

They lay in bed together for a little while longer.

"I suppose we should get up," Paige said.

"We should," replied Emily. "I'd love to spend the whole day just lying here, but we'd better go, back to Rosewood."

* * *

Paige knew that Emily wanted to discuss Hanna. She had left it until last, but now it was time.

"I have to know," Emily began. "Your feelings for Hanna, are they serious?"

"Yes," Paige replied.

Paige was feeling nervous. She didn't know where this would go.

"I know you two have become good friends over the last few months, but I don't want to risk everything over a crush," Emily said.

"It's not like that," Paige said. What did she mean by 'risk everything'?

"Paige, I'm still scared," Emily said. "But I know I've never made the wrong choice by trusting you, so I'm going to trust you again. I need to talk to Hanna when we get back, then what happens after that is up to the two of you."

Emily paused for a moment.

"I'm going to tell her that you both have my blessing," she said.

Those words caught Paige and she took a sharp breath. She could still see the worry in Emily's face, and it was understandable. But she could also see the love, and the determination.

As Paige looked at Emily she was overwhelmed. She could see just how much Emily was prepared to do for her, and how much Emily loved her.

Paige's eyes began to well up. The feelings going through her were almost to much. Love, relief, some nerves, but mostly gratitude. She took Emily's hand.

"Thank you," was all she could say. "Thank you."


	7. Chapter 7

_Hanna leaned forward._

 _"I feel guilty," she said in a hushed voice._

 _"Why?" Paige asked._

 _"This isn't the Brew," Hanna explained. "We always have coffee there. It feels like I'm betraying Emily."_

 _"This was closer," Paige said. "We could go there if you want. It's only a fifteen minute walk."_

 _"For you maybe," Hanna replied. "Not all of us do sport."_

 _"Exercise is fun," Paige said._

 _Hanna just looked at her, pondering how someone could believe such strange things._

 _"You look really hot today," Hanna said._

 _"It's just my everyday clothes," Paige replied._

 _"I really like that vest," Hanna said. "It shows off your sexy shoulders."_

 _Paige laughed._

 _"They're great," Hanna said. "Your arms too."_

 _"Thank you," said Paige, still amused. "It's nice to know you appreciate them."_

 _"What do you think is my best feature?" Hanna asked._

 _"Where did that come from?" Paige responded._

 _"I'm curious," Hanna explained._

 _"I don't know," Paige replied._

 _"Come on, you can say," Hanna assured her. "Is it my boobs?"_

 _Paige was laughing too hard to reply._

 _"I'm serious," Hanna said, which just made it worse._

 _As they were talking Hanna noticed that the man at the table next to them was glaring at her. She tried to ignore him._

 _"You have to tell me," Hanna insisted._

 _"Your eyes," Paige said._

 _"Boring," Hanna replied._

 _The man was still looking at them, and Hanna was getting uncomfortable now. Paige had noticed as well._

 _Hanna turned to him._

 _"You can stop worrying, we're not girlfriends," she said._

 _"You could have fooled me," he replied._

 _"It's true," Paige chipped in. "My girlfriend is actually at work. She couldn't make it."_

 _The man scowled at them._

 _"I don't have a girlfriend at the moment," Hanna added. "Though I did make out with a super hot girl a couple of weeks ago."_

 _"We should set you up with someone," Paige said to Hanna._

 _"Do you think you could?' Hanna asked._

 _"Come on, you had lesbians fighting over you in that bar," Paige reminded her. "We just need to find you the right girl."_

 _Paige turned to the man at the next table._

 _"Do you know anyone who might be interested?" she asked._

 _He picked up his newspaper and stood, preparing to leave._

 _"It's not too late for you, you know?" he said._

 _"Or for you," Paige said. "People can change, I've seen it happen. My dad used to be like you, and now he's caring and supportive. You just have to let go of the fear."_

 _The man walked away._

 _"I'm impressed," Hanna said. "I never knew you were so good at trolling."_

 _"It must be from being around you so much," Paige said. "You're starting to rub off on me."_

* * *

When Hanna opened the door she immediately put her arms out. Emily stepped towards her and they hugged.

"I'm sorry Em," Hanna said.

"It's OK," Emily said. "I'm a lot better now."

Ashley appeared in the hallway.

"Hello Emily," she said.

"Hello Mrs Marin," Emily replied.

"Sorry Mom," Hanna said. "We need some girl talk."

Once they were upstairs in Hanna's room, Hanna closed the door.

"How did it go?" she asked. "How are things with you and Paige?"

"It was really good," Emily replied. "We got to spend some time together, and remember why we love each other. When you saw me I was scared, but I trust her, and I can't be angry at her for how she feels."

"Look Em, I'm sorry I've put you though this, and I just want to promise I won't do it again," Hanna said. "I'll stay away from Paige, whatever it takes. I just want you two to be happy again."

"That's what I want to tell you," Emily said. "You don't need to stay away, or anything like that. It's up to you, and what you feel comfortable with, but I've told her and I want to tell you. Whatever the two of you decide to do, you have my blessing."

Hanna's eyes widened, and her mouth opened as if to speak, but just hung there.

Emily decided to give her a few moments to absorb the news.

"You mean…" Hanna began.

"I mean you can date if you like," Emily said. "It's up to you. Paige and I will continue our relationship, but she can see you as well if she wants."

Hanna still looked shocked.

"Wow," she said.

"This is just for you, by the way," Emily added. "I've told Paige this offer doesn't extend to anyone else."

"Are you sure?" Hanna asked in whisper.

"I'm sure," Emily said.

Hanna lept forwards and hugged Emily.

"Oh my God," Hanna said. "You are incredible."

"There's just one more thing," Emily said.

"OK," said Hanna, sitting down again.

"I've said this to Paige, and I'm asking you as well," Emily said. "I want this to be completely open. I don't want any secrets, or hiding things. The moment that starts we will just end up hurting someone. You're still my best friend, so whatever happens with you and Paige, you can tell me about it. Never feel you have to hide anything, or tone it down. And don't feel you can't be affectionate with each other if I'm around. If this is going to work, I need to be happy for you, so don't think I'm just tolerating your relationship. I care about both of you deeply, and I want you to be happy."

"It's a deal," said Hanna.

"It might be a bit harder than that though," Emily continued. "Spencer and Aria will know, obviously, but you know what our lives are like. If you do this, eventually everyone in town is going to know. If it looks like being serious, I think you need to tell your parents before someone else does."

"Yeah," said Hanna. "That's us. It's like living in your own reality TV show. Mom will be fine. Dad will get over it."

"And apart from all that, I hope it goes well for you," Emily concluded.

"Em, you are amazing," Hanna said. "I've always known you were an incredible friend, but this… this is something special."

"Well, when you care about people enough, you'll do anything for them," Emily replied. "And this isn't just for Paige, it's for you too."

* * *

Hanna spotted Paige outside the restaurant.

"You look beautiful," Hanna said as she approached.

"Thank you," Paige replied. "So do you. That dress is really nice."

Hanna leaned in and kissed Paige.

"We're allowed to do that now," Hanna said, smiling.

They went inside and were shown to their table.

"It's been a while since I've been on a real date," Hanna said.

"Caleb?" Paige asked.

"Yeah," Hanna replied.

"Do you still hear from him?" Paige asked.

"Now and then," Hanna replied. "You haven't?"

"No, he's a bit hard to get hold of," Paige said.

"I'll tell him to call you when I speak to him next," Hanna said. "Anyway, enough about exes. Let's just enjoy our first date."

Their drinks hadn't arrived yet, so Hanna picked up her glass of water.

"To us," she said.

Paige picked up her water.

"To us."

* * *

Hanna and Paige were sitting in the back row. The movie wasn't very good, but they weren't too concerned. By a few minutes in they were holding hands, then arm in arm, and for some time now they had been kissing.

It was a fairly leisurely kiss, slow paced with lips and tongues gently touching and exploring. Hanna seemed to enjoy playing with Paige's hair as they kissed.

Paige, meanwhile, had her hand on the outside of Hanna's thigh, just below the hem of her dress. It was a long time since she had been on a first date, and she was feeling a little hesitant, but Hanna took Paige's arm until Paige found her hand under Hanna's dress, closer to her hip.

Hanna took her mouth away from Paige's and started kissing Paige's neck.

"Oh Em," Paige whispered.

Hanna stopped kissing and started laughing.

"Oh God I'm sorry," Paige said, louder than she should have. "Sorry. I'm so sorry."

Hanna was still laughing. A couple of the patrons glared at the two of them.

"It's OK," Hanna whispered. "Don't worry and just kiss me."

Paige kissed her.

* * *

The amusement arcade had been Hanna's idea, and it was fun. Hanna knew Paige was good at pinball, but had been particularly impressed with how good she was on the dancing games. Maybe swimming was good for something apart from a killer body.

It was getting late now though, so they started walking back to Paige's car.

"I've had a wonderful night," Paige said.

"Me too," Hanna said. She was surprised how natural it felt already.

The stopped and kissed for a moment under a shop veranda.

"We should get going," Paige said.

Hanna just kissed her again. She was enjoying this.

"Hanna!"

They looked around.

"Hanna… and Paige! How's it going?"

It was Bridget Wu.

Paige tried to back away, but Hanna knew Bridget had already seen them kissing so she kept hold of Paige's hand.

"Hey Bridge, I'm good, how are you?" Hanna said.

Paige was just standing, open mouthed.

"I have just had the best night," Bridget said. "I've got this friend who's in a band so we all went along to see them. They were awesome. What are you guys up to?"

"We just went to a movie, then the arcade," Hanna replied.

"Sounds great," Bridget said. "Hey, I'm off to a party with the band. Do you want to come along?"

"No, we better head back," Hanna replied.

"Oh well, great seeing you," Bridget said.

"Yeah, have a good time," Hanna said.

"Bye," Paige said.

* * *

Paige and Hanna were sitting the car outside Hanna's house, debating what to do next.

"I don't think I can do this," Paige said.

"Look, it's fine," Hanna said. "Mom's rule is no boyfriends in the bedroom, but she'll have no idea about you. She just thinks we're good friends now."

"You don't think she'll get suspicious?" Paige asked.

"Not the first few times she won't," Hanna replied.

"Hanna, it will just make it harder when we do need to tell her," Paige pointed out.

"Yeah, but until then we get full use of my bedroom," Hanna responded.

"No," Paige insisted. "I can't."

"OK then," Hanna said.

Hanna pulled Paige towards her and they started kissing again.

There was a knock on the car window. They instantly stopped and turned to see who it was. It was Ashley Marin.

* * *

Ashley and Hanna were standing in the Marin kitchen. Ashley had her arms folded in front of her, and a suspicious look on her face.

"So you're telling me Emily is OK with this?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, that's what we talked about yesterday," Hanna replied. "She said it's OK."

"Is that what all this fuss has been about the last few days?" Ashley asked.

"Um, I may have kissed Paige before I got permission, and Paige kind of told Emily about it," Hanna explained.

Ashley shook her head.

"So if I mention this next time Emily comes around, that won't be a problem?" Ashley asked.

"Mom, I swear, she knows we went out on a date. She said it's OK," Hanna replied.

"Well at least someone knew you were going out on a date," Ashley said.

"We were going to tell you," Hanna said. "I just wanted… I don't know, I wanted to make sure first, you know. It's a big deal."

"Sounds like it is," Ashley said. "It looks like house rules are going to apply when Paige comes around."

"I understand," Hanna said.

"Are you sure about this?" Ashley asked.

"It's funny," Hanna replied. "That's what I asked Emily."

"Well it's a good thing I'm not easily shocked these days," Ashley said. "Though I'm sure you'll find something."

* * *

Emily met up with Paige before swim practice.

"How did it go?" Emily asked.

"It was great," Paige replied.

"Great…" Emily prompted.

"Hanna's mom caught us," Paige said.

"Oh," Emily said.

"I don't know if I need to tell my mom and dad now," Paige explained.

"Don't panic," Emily said. "You've got a bit of time to decide."

"I'm just nervous," Paige said. "I've never done anything like this before."

"We're all in the same boat," Emily said. "I'm going to have to tell my mom and dad too. I'll wait until you've told yours, though."

"Thanks," Paige said. "It's just… I'm the one who has to tell my parents I've got two girlfriends."

Emily started to get it.

"How do you feel about that?" she asked.

"I'm worried they'll disapprove, and think I'm selfish," Paige replied.

"Do you think you're being selfish?" Emily asked.

Paige stopped to think.

"I'm taking that as a yes," Emily said.

Paige nodded.

"This might take a bit of getting used to," she said.

"It might," Emily agreed. "But you'll be OK. Just remind yourself that you've been honest and open, and that I'm happy for you. You've done everything the right way, Paige, and that took courage and integrity."

"I'm not selfish?" Paige asked.

"You're not," Emily replied. "Selfish would have been sneaking around behind my back."

"Thank you," said Paige. "I'll tell mom and dad. It can't be harder than telling you."

"I remember," Emily said. "You were scared."

"It's not so much that," Paige said. "I hurt you. I wish I could have done this without hurting you like that. My parents might not approve, they might not understand, but I won't see that look of pain on their faces."

"But I made it through, Paige," Emily said. "We made it through. Together."

* * *

Ashley Marin answered the door.

"Hello Emily," she said.

"Hello," Emily replied.

Hanna was coming down the stairs.

"She knows," Hanna said to Emily.

"Yes, Paige mentioned," Emily said.

Ashley seemed to be scrutinizing Emily's face.

"See, I told you," Hanna said to her mother.

"It appears you did," Ashley replied. "I'll leave you two alone. You probably have some catching up to do."

As she walked away, she stopped and turned back.

"Wait," she said. "It is just you and Paige, isn't it?"

"Yes," Emily and Hanna replied simultaneously.

* * *

Hanna was beaming. Emily couldn't help but smile too.

They were up in her room now, and without her mother around she could open up.

"Em, I am so happy," Hanna said.

"You look it," Emily replied.

"I haven't felt this way since Caleb," Hanna said.

"I told you you'd find someone," Emily reminded her. "You just needed time."

"And the coolest best friend in the whole world," Hanna added. "This is all because of you."

"Not just me," Emily said.

"Anyone else would have said no," Hanna insisted. "You said yes."

"I suppose so," Emily said. "But enough about me. Tell me all about your hot date."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** On tumblr this was a separate story, "All in good time", but really it's just the conclusion of "Just a kiss", so I've combined them here.

* * *

Spencer and Aria were already sitting in the Brew when Emily and Hanna came in. They both entered so casually, chatting away, smiles on their faces, it was like the last few days hadn't happened.

They made their way over and sat down.

"So?" said Aria.

"It's all good," Emily replied.

"And you and Paige…" Aria began.

"We're great," Emily said.

"OK, a few days ago you were nearly ready to check into Radley," Spencer said, "and the only thing you told me on the phone is that you and Paige played a game of mini golf. Now either relationship counselors are going to have to adopt new methods or there's something else."

"Paige and I had a good talk," Emily explained. "Then Hanna and I talked…"

"Then Paige and I went on a date," Hanna added.

"A date?" Aria said.

"A date date?" Spencer added.

"A date date," Hanna confirmed.

"Wow," said Spencer.

"That's great," Aria said, then quickly looked at Emily. "Isn't it?"

"It is," said Emily.

"Well, you guys certainly don't mess around," Spencer said.

"So how was it?" Aria asked.

Hanna's face broke into a huge smile.

"Fantastic," she said. "We had dinner, then saw a movie, which was absolutely terrible, by the way…"

"Which movie?" asked Spencer.

"That one with the cops," Hanna replied.

"That doesn't narrow it down much," Spencer said.

"You know, there are these two cops and it's sort of a buddy movie," Hanna elaborated.

"That's half the movies made in the last twenty years," Spencer pointed out.

"Who cares anyway," Hanna said. "We were kissing most of the time. That's what cinemas are for."

"So then…" Aria prompted.

"We went to the amusement arcade and played games," Hanna continued. "And she kissed me again, then we went home."

"OK, Emily, why are you smiling now?" Spencer asked.

"I'll let Hanna tell you," Emily said.

"My mom caught us," Hanna said.

"She didn't know?" Spencer asked.

"Of course not," Hanna said. "But we were kissing in the car and she was putting the bins out… because I'd forgotten to, and she saw us."

"How did she handle it?" Aria asked.

"She was a little freaked out, but you know my mom," Hanna replied.

"So your mom knows now," Spencer said.

"I was going to tell her eventually," Hanna said. "Paige is telling her parents today."

"That's very quick," Aria said. "Your mom is hardly going to call them up and tell them."

"Paige felt she had to," Emily said. "I'm going to tell mine once she has. Not looking forward to that."

"You don't think they'd approve?" Spencer asked.

Emily just looked at her.

"I suppose so," said Spencer.

"Does anyone else know?" Aria asked.

"Well, Bridget saw us kissing outside the arcade," Hanna said.

Emily looked at her, surprised.

"Yeah," Hanna said.

"So everyone knows then," Aria said.

"Yeah," Hanna said.

* * *

As they all left the Brew, Spencer pulled Emily aside.

"Emily, I still don't understand how you turned around so quickly," Spencer said. "What changed?"

"I was scared I was losing Paige," Emily explained. "Once I realized I wasn't going to… I just let go. I felt safe again. Seeing Hanna now, looking so happy, I know I've done the right thing."

* * *

Hanna was at Rosewood Mall when she saw Bridget.

"Hanna! We keep meeting," Bridget said, in her usual enthusiastic voice.

"Hi Brig, how was your party?" Hanna asked.

"Amazing!" Bridget replied. "They are such an awesome bunch of people."

"Great," said Hanna.

"And how was your date?" Bridget asked.

Hanna took a short breath.

"It was good," Hanna said.

"That's wonderful," Bridget said. "How long have you two been together?"

"That was our first date," Hanna replied.

"Aw, that's so sweet," Bridget said. "New love."

"Yeah," said Hanna. "Look, I have to tell you something."

"Sure," Bridget said.

"We're not cheating or anything," Hanna insisted. "You know I'd never do that to Emily. Paige wouldn't either."

"Of course," Bridget replied. "I figured Emily said it was fine. And don't worry, everyone I've spoken to agrees."

* * *

It was early evening when Paige called Emily, needing some reassurance.

"Paige, you don't have to do this now," Emily said.

"But if I don't it will just get harder," Paige replied. "Anyway, I don't want Hanna's mom feeling she has to keep it a secret."

"So you're going to tell your parents now?" Emily asked.

"Once I get off the phone," Paige said. "I'm just so nervous."

"Well that's understandable, but we both know you're very strong," Emily said.

"It's just going to be hard," Paige responded. "I've got to go and say to my parents 'Hey guys, I've got another girlfriend. No, I'm still with Emily, but I'm also with Hanna. Yes, that's two.'"

"Maybe not quite as bluntly as that," Emily suggested.

"Oops," said Paige.

Emily heard talking on the other end of the line.

"No, no," Paige was saying. "It's Emily."

"Paige?" Emily said.

Emily thought she could hear Paige's father talking.

"Ah, Em, I've got to go," Paige said, then hung up.

* * *

While Emily wondered what had happened to Paige, she heard someone come in the front door. She went downstairs.

Her mother was there. Her face looked downcast, and Emily was worried.

"Emily, we need to talk," Pam said.

"What's wrong?" Emily asked. "Is it dad? They're not sending him away again are they?"

"Your father is fine," Pam replied. "I think we should sit down."

They went into the living room and sat on the couch.

"What is it mom?" Emily asked.

Pam began to explain.

"Today I was talking to… well, that doesn't really matter," she said. "But someone saw Paige and Hanna at the cinema on Thursday night."

"I know," Emily said. "They went to see a film together."

"Emily, they weren't just watching a movie," Pam said.

Emily thought for a moment. Should she just come out and say it?

"They were holding hands," Pam continued.

Emily was still trying to decide how to respond.

"Someone saw them kissing," Pam concluded.

"Ah," Emily said.

"I'm so sorry," Pam said. "I didn't believe it at first myself, but…"

"Mom, there's something I should tell you," Emily began. "This might be a bit of a surprise, but please hear me out."

* * *

Emily was still with her mother when Paige called back. The conversation had finished though, and Pam was just staring silently at nothing in particular in the middle of the room.

"It's Paige," Emily said. "I'd better answer."

Pam vaguely nodded.

"Hi Paige," Emily said as she went up the stairs to her room. "Just a moment."

"Em, can I come over?" Paige asked.

"That might not be a good idea," Emily said once she had safely shut the door. "Didn't it go well?"

"They'll be OK… eventually," Paige replied. "I just need to talk."

"Um, I ended up having to tell mom too," Emily said.

"Why?" Paige asked. "I thought you were going to wait."

"Apparently someone saw the two of you," Emily explained.

"Damn," Paige said.

"Yeah," Emily agreed. "Probably best if you don't come over right now."

"I want to see you though," Paige said. "Hanna too."

"Maybe we could go over to Hanna's," Emily suggested.

* * *

Emily and Paige were waiting in Hanna's room while Hanna argued with her mother outside.

"We don't need to have the door open," Hanna protested.

"You know the house rules," Ashley responded.

"But Emily is here as well," Hanna pointed out.

Ashley didn't reply.

"It's not like that," Hanna insisted.

There was still no reply.

"Listen, mom, Paige and Emily have both just told their parents what's happening," Hanna explained. "They're both a bit stressed and we just want a chance to talk it over. In private. Please."

There was a short pause before Ashley responded.

"OK," she said. "I'll trust you."

Hanna came in and shut the door.

"So your parents overheard you," Hanna said to Paige.

"Yes," Paige said. "I was on the phone to Emily, practicing what I might tell them. Except it wasn't really what I was going to say."

"Oh, I remember," Emily said.

"A ha," Paige said. "The thing was my dad was standing in the doorway about to tell me dinner was ready."

"So what were you saying?" Hanna asked.

"Well, I was kind of joking," Paige replied. "You know, just saying straight up that I have two girlfriends."

"And that's what your dad heard?" Hanna asked.

"A ha," Paige said.

"Oh," said Emily.

"Geez," said Hanna.

For a while they sat around, taking in what had happened.

Eventually Paige broke the silence.

"Well, it was quick," she said.

"Looking on the bright side, now all of our parents know," Emily said.

"Now all of Rosewood knows," Hanna added.

"I'm not sure," Paige said. "Maybe we should take out an ad in the paper."

Emily and Hanna started to laugh.

"Or put up a billboard," suggested Hanna.

"Good idea," said Paige, still deadpan. "A big sign in the middle of town for anyone who missed the news."

"No," said Emily. "On the highway, so people coming in to Rosewood see."

"We could hire one of those planes to write in the sky," said Hanna. "Emily heart Paige heart Hanna."

"Maybe a poster campaign," suggested Paige.

Paige couldn't keep a straight face any more. She started quietly chuckling, but soon dissolved into laughter. After all the stress of the day it just felt good. And as she did, the others broke up too.

For a few moments, no one could speak for guffaws, but eventually they regained their composure.

"It's not even funny," Hanna said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I know," said Emily, still chuckling.

"Guys, thank you," Paige said. "You both put yourself through this for me."

"Hey, it wasn't just for you, you know," Hanna protested.

"That's true," Paige replied.

"Anyway, Emily's the one we should be thanking," Hanna said.

She walked over to Emily and gave her a hug.

"You are the greatest friend ever," she said.

"Yeah, thank you, Em," Paige added.

"The only thanks I want is for you two to be happy," Emily said. "That's all you have to do."

"OK, it's a plan," Paige said.

"Absolutely," Hanna agreed.


End file.
